Pintsized Demons and Cookies
by grainsofsand
Summary: Gaara is hit by a jutsu that turns him into a little kid with only dream-like images of his past. After the destruction of her home village, Hinata opens a bakery in Suna. How will she react to an uexpected guest?
1. Chapter 1

Pint-Sized Demons and Cookies

Pint-sized Demons and Cookies

This story is being typed on my other computer; so many chapters will probably not have an author note at the beginning. You also may see this story uploaded in its entirety in one day, or at least a lot of chapters. This story is rated teen for some violence and language, but nothing extreme. This is supposed to be a very cute/heartwarming, with lots of comfort food. Gaahina, as usual, but they won't be a romantic couple at first. You'll see why soon. I don't own Naruto.

Chapter One

Pint-sized Destruction

It was all because he had become too strong. That and he had a mind of his own, and refused to obey his father, the Kazekage. So, Orochimaru and his back stabbing, cowardly, and inept father decided to bring him down to size. Literally. They cast a jutsu on him, turning him into a six-year-old boy, with only a few dim recollections and a sensation of constant heartache for memories. However, they made a minor miscalculation; he was still the equivalent of his older self in power. However, they decided that, in the long run, this was much better than the mature Gaara.

He was taken to Konoha, where he was, unknowingly, the center of a hideous plot, which is where our story begins, on the outskirts of the village hidden in the leaves.

He didn't know where he was, and this, coupled with being chased by a bunch of ANBU from his village, frightened him. They kept yelling at him, they wanted him to release _it_. They hated him, and the worst part about it was the fact that he didn't know why. He barely knew them, yet here they were, chasing him around and throwing various weapons at him.

He had to stop, because he had been running for so long. He was gasping for breath. His sides and feet hurt, and he had no energy left; he hadn't been able to eat for days because they kept poisoning his food, and he was in a strange land, with no knowledge of what was good to eat. His head hurt too, because _it _was stirring, and about to wake up, and that was bad. _It _was to be used as a last resort only, even though _it _was his only ally. _It _always went too far, and killed the people around him. He had never actually seen this happen, the boy only knew that that's what would happen.

That seemed all too often the case, he just knew things, with no particular reason why. The knowledge came in tidbits, and when he tried to search for a memory that fit the knowledge, all he got was vague images and sounds in a thick fog. Oh, and a headache. He knew only a few things for certain.

His name was Gaara. Everyone hated him and wanted him dead. He could control sand, and something really bad happened to him a long time ago. He knew he couldn't sleep, or else _it _would get loose.

"Hey, there it is!" The boy spun around in alarm to see three ANBU coming after him. Three more cut off his escape rout. They surrounded him and drew their weapons.

"Stop it! Go away! Leave me alone!" His distress only brought sneers behind their masks.

"Filthy monster! You don't deserve to live!"

"Freak! You killed your own mother, you murderer!"

"They should've cut your throat when you were born!"

"You're such a failure, you can't even do this right! You don't deserve to be alive!"

The final straw came when they threw an explosion tag at him. He knew, somehow, that explosives were a part of the bad thing that happened to him, and they never failed to wake _it _up.

His body contorted painfully, and began to expand as Shukaku emerged to defend his host. Claws emerged and ripped through the ninja, chopping them into various chunks of meat and bone. Then he descended on the sleeping village, leveling buildings, tearing through houses, and slaughtering many of the inhabitants. Many Ninja emerged, throwing kunai, shurikan, and senbon at the beast. Explosive tags were attached to many of the weapons, in the hopes of making them more effective. Shukaku, however, only laughed at them. They couldn't wake up Gaara, because he had been under for too long now.

**"You fools! You think you can stop me?! You little bugs are too weak to kill me, and you cannot seal away what is already imprisoned!" **he roared savagely as he swept a building clean of its roof and defenders. He used great blasts of air to blow distant buildings and clusters of ninja apart. On the other side of the village large boas had been summoned and had crushed a section of the outer wall, thereby allowing a mixture of sound and Sand ninja in. Hand to hand combat was heavy in that area, and the air was thick with battle cries, barked orders, and the screams of the dying. It was music to the demon's ears.

Shukaku raked his claws along the ground, crushing rocks and concrete and turning them into sand. The new sand was used to make more sand, until large dunes drifted throughout the village. Shukaku spotted something; a young girl, by the looks of it. Wide lavender eyes gazed at him in shock, her navy hair whipping in the wind. He raised a claw to crush her, but something held him back. This one was an innocent, and although that had never stopped him before, this time was different for some reason. Something about her was different, although he couldn't quite put his claw on it. Curiosity got the best of him, and, on a whim, he decided to spare her, just to see what would happen.

She seemed to get the message, and she gracefully leaped from the pile of rubble to escape into the streets, pausing to look back on him once, with what seemed to be gratitude. He watched for a while, then turned back to the slaughter, forgetting about the strange girl.

Another demon host was now before him, about the age his container should be, and would've been if those bastards hadn't interfered. The blond kid was holding some sort of spinning blue ball of light. An interesting jutsu, but not a major threat, even when the brat launched himself at him with a loud cry he wasn't fazed. Looking at the damage to his claw, Shukaku conceded that, if he had been smaller, he might have been in a bad way, but he had felt nothing more than a pinprick. He simply filled his claw in with sand, to repair the damage, and batted the kid away

Moments later a large toad came after him with the kid on top of his head. The water bullets were easy enough to counter-act, all he had to do was use his air bullets. He even managed to score with one shot, knocking his amphibian nemesis into a nearby apartment complex. The toad got back up, and spewed some oil at him, which the kid set alight with an explosive tag. Fire, however, was never very threatening to Shukaku, the minerals that he was made of had a very high melting point; much higher than the flames that he was faced with. However, this presented a golden opportunity, and he lunged forward through the flames, grappling with the toad.

With a great cry, the toad chief managed to twist free, but he had sustained several deep gashes. That was when the kid and the toad transformed into Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon. Shukaku growled, considering his new foe. Kyuubi had always been fast and nimble, but, amongst the demons, not particularly strong, or adept at long range attacks. The fox favored a hit and run style of battle with other demons. Shukaku was fast and strong, but only at close range, and had excellent long ranged attacks. The fox, however, could easily evade his distance attacks, so those were pointless. Shukaku's only option was to grapple with Kyuubi and pin him to the ground.

This, however, wasn't the real Kyuubi, so he might have a better chance, if he was patient. These foes had proven tenacious and cunning, but not unbeatable. His container was far too important to him to let anyone harm him, and besides, it wasn't his fault that they were in this situation. It was wrong for them to blame his little Gaara for all of their problems.

Kyuubi lunged foreword and sank his fangs painfully in his arm, one of his tails knocking into Gaara. Shukaku swiftly drew him inside, cuccooning him in a safe pocket of air, all the while cursing his carelessness. That blow could have killed the boy! He felt him stirring restlessly, and for a fleeting instant he feared that he would wake, and be defenseless against his enemies. But it was okay, he was having a bad dream, and he soon settled back down as it faded away.

Shukaku angrily seized the fox, pinning him to the ground. He used his great weight to keep him on his back as Shukaku brought his fangs down on his throat, tearing savagely. The transformation faded, leaving behind an unconscious boy and the wounded toad. The toad poofed away, and a ninja with white hair was able to get the boy just before his claw came crashing down. Shukaku roared his anger, but he lost the jonin in the crowd of defenders. Another blast of air was sent their way, catching many of them, but some managed to jump away just in the nick of time.

Shukaku turned away from them, heading towards the battling kages. The Kazekage was losing to the old man, much to Shukaku's delight. But he would have his say first. He snatched up the overgrown rat, glaring at him down his snout.

**"You filthy little rat, did you think you were safe? Did you think that I would forget all you have done to him? Well, I have news for you," **he squeezed the man's legs painfully, snapping them in many places. **"I don't forgive or forget, and the next time we meet I will kill you. You can spend the next few months in a hospital bed, and think about the choices you have made." **He threw him to the ground contemptuously. He then lumbered out into the woods, hoping to find a peaceful place to rest.

It was not long before two intruders disturbed his rest. One was a hulk, lumbering on the ground, with the tangy scent of poison clinging to him. The other was walking normally, and spoke with an odd accent. An acrid scent wafted from him, smelling of something that was burning, or of gunpowder, perhaps.

"Sasori, our sources tell us that he's in that village somewhere, un. Looks like a pitched battle is going on, un, we can sneak in and no one would notice him missing until it's too late, un."

"Deidara, those ninja couldn't have caused all of that damage all by themselves, not even Orochimaru is that destructive. Something doesn't smell right." The fools didn't even realize he was less than ten feet away; probably because, unless viewed from afar, he looked like a rocky outcropping. He listened in keenly, wondering about these two.

"Orochimaru can summon up giant snakes, un, and that's exactly what he did, look there, you can see them there, un." He pointed at the snakes in the distance.

"Yes, but what about all of that sand?"

"That's just ash and rubble from the wrecked buildings, and perhaps some residual effects from the sand ninjas' jutsus, nothing to concern ourselves with, now, let's get Shukaku's vessel and get out of here while we can use the confusion to our advantage, un."

"I'm from the desert, you moron, I know what sand looks like, and how most jutsus with sand work; they don't work like that! The only way there could be that much sand is if the brat released the demon!"

"oh really, un? Then where is he? I don't see a giant raccoon anywhere, un."

"I don't know! That's why we should wait and see! I'm telling you know, we can't fight the kid if he's let that thing out, especially if it's been free over a long period of time. I can't poison it, and your explosives are too small to do much damage. Even that big one you made won't blast him apart completely, and he has the ability to fill in any wounds with his sand, making it just like it never happened."

"While that may be true, the fact that he is a giant raccoon means that we would see him, or at least hear him coming, un. The fact that I don't see or hear anything means that he is still human, meaning that we can get him and extract the demon, un."

Shukaku's eyes narrowed. That would kill the boy, and he wasn't about to let that happen. These two, yes, he could kill them. It would be difficult if it was a prolonged battle, but he could. He was made of sand, and poisoning sand was useless, it wouldn't even spread to the boy, because he was cuccooned too deep within him. In order for poison to spread, you needed a circulatory system, and he didn't have one. The other one, though, he could apparently use large explosives. While he was far too dense for them to truly hurt him, the noise may wake up Gaara, and he would be defenseless against these two.

Shukaku would take care of the little pyromaniac first. He smirked slightly, revealing his teeth.

**"If you can't see me, then you two must be blind, human scum."**

They whipped around, coming face to face with his snout. His gin widened.

"I thought you said this was just a rocky outcropping, Deidara!"

"It appears like I may have been mistaken, un!"

"May have been?! There's no may have been about it!"

Shukaku's claw came down on Deidara, pinning him to the ground. He didn't know what sort of Justus the guy had, and he didn't want to find out. Using his other claw, he ripped him in two, and crushed his skull. The slashed headband would be kept. It could be a clue as to who this ninja was, and what the big idea with killing Gaara and taking him out away from him.

He turned to the other one, and knew that this one was an odd one. He knew this chakra, though, or rather, it's relative. Chiyo, yes, the one who sealed him in his host. Not her children, they were dead. A grandchild, perhaps? No matter, he had to be killed before he got away. His claw came down again, crushing the ninja. Just to be safe, he scattered the pieces, and took the headband. He tossed both bodies into one of the raging fires in the village, just to be safe. He was still uncertain as to what jutsus these guys had. For all he knew, they could be like Kabuto, and have super healing abilities. Even he, however, couldn't survive a crushed skull, or regenerate cauterized wounds. He watched the bodies burn away to nothingness from a safe distance.

Shukaku decided that he had had enough with killing rats for one night. The best thing he could do for Gaara was to take him home, away from his many enemies. It was a three-day journey to Suna on foot, if you were human. He, however, could cover it in one night, if he ran. So he bounded off, heading for home, where the wind sang lullabies to his container, and the warm sand was his blanket.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Pint-sized and Hungry

Her village had surrendered quickly to the sand ninja, and they had moved here, to the desert. Her father had kicked her out as soon as she got here, saying that she was too weak to carry on the family line. She understood, and she was happy that she had the foresight to take her savings with her. She was only fifteen, but she had managed to buy a small restaurant in this strange place. The only one she could afford was an old inn in the worst part of town. She had turned it into a bakery, hoping to support herself until her sand ninja application was accepted.

The venture had wiped out most of her savings, and she had very few customers, due to the crime rate here. Drug pushers and gangs ran the streets here, and she had refused to support them. So they ran off most of her customers. They had already tried to invade her little home/bakery once, but the byakugan-wielding girl had chased them off, many of them licking their wounds. They would be back. After all, they always came back, and she would have to smack them around some more, and probably clean off the obscenities that they had spray-painted on her walls. She also had to check the dumpster out back to make sure it was still in descent repair, and to make sure they hadn't tossed anything in that shouldn't be there. She had seen more than a few purses back to their owners.

She had cleaned the place up nicely, but she wanted to remodel it at some point. However, she simply didn't have the funds to support that undertaking, she could barely afford to feed herself and pay her bills, including the payment for her inn/bakery/home. It was a good thing that she lived there; she wouldn't be able to pay rent for an apartment. All of her troubles were due, again, to two things: the gangs scaring away her customers and the Kazekage taking his time with her application. Stupid politics.

She often wondered what had become of Gaara. She remembered seeing him once, a long time ago, during a visit. That had been long before the destruction of her village, when the Hyuuga clan had acted as ambassadors to the desert nation. She had been twelve at the time. She remembered thinking of him as having a sort of dark, sinister beauty. Like a crimson flower surrounded by poisonous thorns, a sort of 'touch me not' beauty. She never told anyone about that though, and besides, it was only a fleeting sight, from across the room just before he glided out. The interaction lasted only a few seconds, yet it stuck with her.

She had learned a few days after the battle that the demon that changed his mind about killing her was housed within Gaara. She also knew that he had survived the battle. The most unusual thing was that she hadn't seen him here once, and it had been about three months since that incident. The way that the villagers spoke about him made her think that he would keep to himself most of the time, but you would think that she would at least see him in the market from time to time. But no, it was like he was a ghost or something. She was musing about this little fact when she heard something suspicious at her back door.

Gaara was having a rough time. Ever since he had awakened outside of the gates he had been having a rough time. Well, rougher than normal, anyway. He didn't understand why everyone was so mad at him, he had done what they wanted, hadn't he? He had let _it _out, just like they wanted. Well, actually _it _had taken control by force, but that was beside the point. They had won the battle, with _its _help, so why weren't they happy? Why wasn't his father happy? He had done what they wanted!

Yes, he was having a rough time of it. His father was always trying to kill him in one way or another, and that included poisoning his food. It got to the point that he couldn't even buy food anymore, because the villagers wouldn't sell any to him. He had resorted to lurking outside of restaurants, waiting for them to throw out perfectly good food that didn't meet some sort of specification. It was a crime to waste food in such a way, but as long as they kept throwing it out he was able to eat, provided that they didn't catch him and chase him off. Bakeries were the best, because they would throw out whole loaves of bread that was just a little stale.

But it seemed that he would have to leave this relatively safe neighborhood and look elsewhere, because they had started pouring a variety of poisons into the dumpsters. They ranged from rat poisons, to antifreeze, liquids and powders. Evidently his father had finally caught on to his food sources, and was giving the owners a little incentive to help him to get rid of his son. So now he was faced with a dilemma; stay in the safe neighborhood and starve, or risk the more treacherous one and have a chance at something to eat. Neither option looked particularly appealing, and he was scared of the gangs. However, by day five without food he decided to risk it. He would die otherwise.

He kept to the shadows, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. The less attention he attracted, the better. He sniffed at the air quietly. Somewhere around here was a bakery, he could smell it. After a while he found what he thought was the back entrance. The alley was narrow, but there was a dumpster there. He hopped up on the sides, and was disappointed at first. All he could see was some old boxes. That meant he was going to have to actually get in ad dig around. He hated that; not only did it consume precious energy that he couldn't afford to waste, it also hampered his ability to escape in case he was caught.

A noise pricked his interest, and he swiftly slid down as quietly as he could. There, he could see a figure by the door. It looked like it was trying to break in. Gaara was finding himself torn in two directions. He could wait here for the guy to leave, which would take forever, and there was always the chance that he would get caught by the guy's little friends. Or he could chase the guy off, wasting precious energy, and would surely attract the attentions of the owner, if not the whole neighborhood. That would also be a thankless job, he knew that from experience.

However, the decision was swiftly taken out of his hands, as the door swung open and a very angry girl came after the guy. Well, this didn't bode well at all.

Hinata was angry. This was the third time this week! Why couldn't these guys leave her alone?!

"You there! Beat it, or you'll wind up black and blue!" the guy didn't listen, and instead came after her with a screwdriver. What a moron, she thought as she easily disarmed him and landed a descent amount of blows with her gently fist. Her byakugan blazed in the night, and she could see that there were two intruders in her alley. After a few seconds of being beaten to a pulp by a little girl, the would-be robber took off.

Hinata then turned her attention to the dumpster. She could see a small figure through the metal, far too small to be an accomplice. In fact, it looked like a child. What was a little kid doing out here this late at night?

"I know you're there, come on out!" she waited patiently, but he didn't show. So she went around to get him. What she saw startled her. A pair of green lights were looking back at her. It was eye-shine, like a cat would have, or some other animal. The source leaped up and balanced on the fence, looking down on her with wide eyes.

"Aw, come on down, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. What's a little boy doing out this late at night?" the only reason she could tell it was a boy was from the silhouette. He was clearly frightened. She hoped that, with a little coaxing, the little guy would come down and allow her to take him inside,; it was far too dangerous for a little kid like him to be outside, weird eye-shine or not.

Gaara wasn't sure what to make of this girl. No one ever spoke to him this way. Was it a trick? If so, then what did she want with him? He prepared to leap to the roof and lose her.

"Please wait! Really, I promise I won't hurt you! Come down here, please! It's not safe to be out this late at night!" Gaara faltered. Maybe she was being honest.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not! You didn't do anything wrong! Why would I be mad at you?"

"Everyone's mad at me. No matter what I do, they're always mad at me. Why should you be any different?"

"Well, I am. Do I look mad?"

"N-no…"

"Hey, I have an idea, why don't you come inside and get something to eat. Then we can talk about me not being mad, okay?"

she watched the strange boy hesitate, and for a moment she feared that he would run. But, he finally assented, and came down off the fence. He looked at her warily, but followed her inside. That's when she realized just who her strange guest was. It was Gaara. No one else had hair like that, or that tattoo on his forehead. She had forgotten just how striking his eyes were. But what was he doing as a little boy? He was supposed to be her age!

He looked so lost and forlorn, and it broke her heart. Who would leave a little boy out on the street? And he was so thin! And dirty too.

"Your name is Gaara, yes?" he backed away swiftly, looking at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"Y-yes…"

"My name is Hinata, pleased to meet you, but I must admit, I'm a bit confused. Why are you a little boy? You're supposed to be a little older than me."

"I-I can't remember…_It _says that my father and a snake did this to me, but I can't remember…"

"A snake? Orochimaru, perhaps?" that guy was a snake with legs, and it would be just like him to mess up someone's life just for kicks. Gaara gave a hesitant nod, and looked away.

"Umm, who is 'It' exactly?" he looked at her in shock.

"You know, _It_. Of course you know_ It_, you have to know _It_, everyone knows about _It._" He looked at her in confusion. How could she not know about _It_?

"Do you mean that demon sealed up inside you?" he nodded, and prepared either to fight or run for his life.

"The demon talks to you?" another hesitant nod.

"Huh, I think I may have met him, when my village was destroyed. I think he meant to squish me. He changed his mind, though, I hope." She looked at him hopefully. Becoming a pancake was not on her wish list.

"I dunno, he didn't say anything…" what else could he tell her? No one has ever quite responded in this way, and it was rather confusing to him.

"Well, enough about that. Let's go get you cleaned up, then you can eat, okay?"

That was the first good idea he had heard all day.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Pint-sized, Full, and Squeaky-clean

He was in a nice, hot bath, and he was definitely enjoying himself. It was a rare treat, he had been using the oasis for this at night ever since he had been kicked out. He always had to wait until the middle of the night too, when it was freezing outside. Desert nights were always bitter at this time of the year. Hinata had brought him some clothes too, a tan T-shirt and a pair of black sweats. They were much too big for him, but they were clean and soft. She had taken his down to the laundry room. He was starting to like her, a lot. She even put in extra bubbles for him!

He happily played in the bubbles, long after he had finished washing himself. A knock on the door caught his attention.

"Gaara, may I come in?" He swiftly checked to make sure that nothing was showing that shouldn't be, then said yes. She came in bearing gray towels. She smiled at him.

"Playing with the bubbles?" He gave a sheepish nod, and she giggled. He was so cute! How could anyone just abandon him? She instructed him to duck his head under the water. He gave her an odd look, but at length, did as he was told. The sand that followed him everywhere was sitting in a pile across the bathroom. The bathroom was brown, and made up of a tiled floor and walls. He recognized the building, but he wasn't sure from where or when.

She began to wash his hair, using gentle circles on his scalp. It felt good, much to his surprise. No one had ever willingly touched him before. He was really starting to like her. After she helped him rinse his hair, she left him to his own devices, going to check on the vegetable and beef stew she had made. She always made enough food to last her a week or so, heating up leftovers for dinner. A stew or soup was a great way to use up the stale bread she was unable to sell. Luckily for Gaara, the meal he was getting tonight was freshly made.

Eventually, the aroma from the cooking stew was too much for him, and he got out of the tub and dried off. He was, according to Hinata, a prune. He didn't mind; the bubbles had been fun. It was nice to be able to relax for a change.

She sliced a generous piece of bread, buttered it, and put it in the bowel, doing the same to the other one. She then ladled the stew into them, and set one down before her guest at her simple wooden table. The ravenous boy fell on it, eating swiftly but neatly; not a single drop was to be wasted.

She looked at him in shock, "when was the last time you ate anything?"

He looked down in shame. "About five days ago I had a few crusts."

"Olay, how about your last real meal?"

"Um, I, well, I don't know…"

"You poor thing! What kind of person lets a child starve to death?!"

He looked at her sharply. "It is my punishment, and my test! I must pass!"

"Punishment? No, Gaara, punishment is a time out, a scolding, or a spanking. Starvation is abuse and neglect, and not suitable for punishment."

"I failed-"

"In what? What could they possibly expect from a child?"

"I killed my mother! And I failed in the attack on your village! I was supposed to release _it, _but I didn't. they had to force _it _ out of me!" he was on the verge of crying, but was bravely holding it back.

"Well, let me tell you something. Your mother died in childbirth, yes?" he nodded, "So did mine, with my little sister, and you know what? It wasn't her fault, babies can't control how they come out."

"But mine was different! _It _was too strong for her-"

"Did you put _it _inside you?"

"No, but-"

"Then it's still not your fault. The only ones to blame are the ones who put the demon inside you. You were an innocent bystander in all of this. Your mother's death was not your fault." He looked down. He had never heard it put that way before. She took his bowl and refilled it, much to his delight. This stuff was really good!

"Eat up, little guy. No one comes into my house and stays hungry."

Gaara obeyed, and by the end of the night had eaten five bowls of the stew. Having told Hinata that he couldn't sleep, she gave him some paper and pencils for him to draw. A soft blanket was put on his shoulders, and she left the lamp in the living room on for him. Just because he didn't sleep didn't mean he should be cold. Gaara had a long, comfortable night of relaxation ahead of him, and plenty of time to ponder what Hinata had said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Pint-sized Confrontations and Cookies

The next morning Gaara was treated to a unique breakfast of freshly made muffins. He had never had a muffin before, and the ones that Hinata gave him were delicious. After brushing his teeth and trying to comb his hair, it was off to the Kazekage Tower, in hopes of straightening out a few things with his father. This was not something that he was looking forward to.

Hinata, however, wanted to get this out of the way as soon as possible, so off they went. It was about six in the morning, and the streets were quiet for now. Gaara had her hand in a death grip. He was frightened of the council and the guards. At least this time he wasn't going to face them alone.

However, as they drew nearer his confidence began to wane, and he became less sure of Hinata's motives. What if she was just trying to get rid of him? Was last night some kind of ploy to gain his trust? What was her plan, exactly? He stole a glance at her face. She was an oblivious, yet determined girl, and her eyes seemed sincere…

They passed the guards at the entrance; who gave the couple glares and snide comments. She whipped around and gave them a scorching look of her own, which surprised them. She was normally more timid than this.

They sat in the waiting room for a little while, then went in. She wanted to make sure that the slime-ball Kazekage was there. Gaara's grip on her hand relaxed a little, but she was a bit thrown off as to how still he was. He had also retreated behind a mask of sorts; his face had become expressionless. Most kids his age were unable to sit still for more than a few seconds.

When they entered the meeting room, she was faced with a bunch of glares and looks of disapproval.

"What is _that _doing here?!"

"Get that thing out of here this instant! This is no place for monsters!"

The Kazekage stood up, throwing a look of such hatred at Gaara that it shocked her to her core. This only strengthened her resolve.

"Since you asked, I have brought Gaara here because I had hoped you might have been concerned for your son's welfare. Evidently that was too much to ask."

"Watch your mouth, girl, you should know better than to speak in such a way to those who are better than you." Gaara's hand tightened around hers, but otherwise he looked unchanged. Hinata glared at the man across from her.

"If you are better than me, than I hope I remain a commoner for the rest of my life! I just thought that you should know that I'll be taking care of Gaara from now on. It is not good for _a little boy _to be on his own like this. Good day gentlemen." She walked out without bothering to get permission. She was late in opening her shop anyway.

Gaara was still trying to come to grips with the fact that he had a home. Even after being asked to get his things he was still in shock. He had a load of boxes to unpack; but most of it he didn't want, and he was torn between giving it away or selling it. Most of the toys were brand new; he had never played with them. His father and caretakers had given them to him before he had been kicked out. They had all hoped that he would amuse himself with them and wouldn't want to bother them.

The problem was that nobody had ever bothered to see what he liked to play with. They also never took into account just how much it sucked to play all by one's self all of the time. He was only keeping his books, pens, pencils and markers. He didn't want any of the other stuff. At least he had access to his clothes now, and the teddy bear that he kept hidden away.

While he was unpacking in one of the inn's many rooms, Hinata was busy filling an order. She had to bake five dozen cookies in five different flavors. Gaara wasn't sure what a cookie was, but they smelled really good. The inn was sort of run down, at least most of the rooms. The paint had peeled, the pipes had been shut off for the most part, and the electricity was spotty at best, a good reason for the breakers that controlled this section to be turned off. However, Hinata kept things very clean around here, and had given him one of the few working rooms that also functioned as her office.

The main entry room of the inn and the connecting restaurant served as the store of the bakery, although there were serious renovations that needed to be made. She simply didn't have the funds, and Gaara was acutely aware that he would be, quite literally, be eating up the few funds that were there. He had every intention of paying for his upkeep, first by dealing with the issue of the lack of shelves. He knew of several scrap yards in the area that may be able to help him in that department.

He also intended to get rid of the graffiti that was on the front of the building. These thugs were also going to have to go, one way or another. This was his new home, and Gaara was more than a little territorial, and he didn't like the idea of these guys acting like his new home was theirs. They thought that they ran the streets, and that they owned the night, but we'll just see about that. Tiny or not, he had more strength than most of the ANBU around here, and now that he had a good source of food, he would be only stronger, and he knew it. It was amazing what could happen once you found someone who cared about you.

In the meantime, he had a more important task to do, and that was figuring out just what these cookies were. He made his way stealthily to the kitchen. He knew that if any of her customers saw him, business would go down, and it was bad enough as it was. Eventually the people would figure it out, but he wanted Hinata to get a chance to prove herself to them before that happened, there would be more customers that way.

Hinata had made a few extra cookies of each kind and had set them aside. She thought that Gaara deserved a treat, especially with what had happened today. It still rankled her that his father could be so heartless.

A light tug on her shirt made her aware of his presence. She turned to see him gazing at her with those big green eyes of his. How could he look so adorable? She smiled at him.

"What are cookies?" His head cocked slightly to one side, adding to his cuteness.

"Cookies are a sweet treat, Gaara. Lots of people like to eat them with milk. There are lots of different kinds of cookies, but the most well known are perhaps chocolate chip and sugar."

"They smell good."

"Aw, thank you,. Here, you can have these, I had a few extra. This one is chocolate chip, this one is sugar, this is spicy oatmeal, this is lemon, and this is white chocolate macadamia. Want some milk?"

"Yes please," he said happily. They were still warm! The chocolate chips were still gooey! How lucky could he get?

That day he learned a very important lesson: cookies were, quite possibly, the cure for all of the world's problems.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Pint-sized Security Force

Gaara had been settling in for a few weeks now. Hinata was home-schooling him, and he was zipping along through his studies. After a few days she realized it was simply better to give him the textbook and let him teach himself, since she just seemed to slow him down. About twice a week someone came in to check up on him, including how he was doing on his tests. All of his work was kept in binders, each one neatly labeled. He spent most of the day on his schoolwork, and as a result he was doing eighth-grade math as a six-year-old. He would be moving on to ninth grade the next day, through all of the integrated levels first, then to the specific types that went with high school. The nearby school had made a deal with him to supervise his tests and laboratory exercises that he would need to go through, provided that he stayed well away from the students during school hours.

He was also moving along in his art and science classes. He was a shinobi, and therefore did not have to be involved in any gym classes or after-school activities, much to his relief. He didn't want to be around the kids anyway.

Business was slow, painfully so. He had been spotted, and people avoided the place as a result. Hinata tried to keep their financial situation away from him, mostly because she didn't want him to worry. He knew, however, and he knew how much it worried her. No one could've guessed the events that were to happen this day, or just how far reaching the effects would be.

It was towards the end of the day, and Hinata was tallying up the day's sales money, and trying not to sigh aloud in disappointment. Gaara was in a little alcove nearby, finishing up his final science packet for the eighth grade, and preparing to take his final test, which was tomorrow. He paused to sharpen his pencil, and went back to scribbling down his answers. In short, it was a typical evening, and soon he knew they would leave for the market to pick up stuff for the night's dinner, which would also be dinner for about a week.

The front door banged open, and a guy in a mask showed up waving a little pocketknife. Gaara immediately took notice, as did Hinata.

"Gimme the money! All of it, right now! Or else!" he gestured wildly with the little pocketknife that was maybe an inch and a half long. Hinata just gave him an odd look. She had lost her patience with these guys long ago.

"Or what, you'll knick me?" she was unimpressed, not the least frightened of him. She contemplated the many ways that she could toss the guy out on his butt, which was a very appealing option.

"Shut up you little whore!"

Gaara didn't give him time to say anything else.

"Don't you call Hinata names!" with that Gaara launched into the air and landed heavily on the guy's back, slamming him into the floor. He then began to pummel the hapless would-be robber. He somehow managed to get away, and bolted for the door, only to be pursued by Gaara, who launched into the air again and twisted him around; body-slamming him on the ground. He grabbed the guy by the collar, jerking him up and smacking his head on the ground a few times.

"This is my neighborhood now, and you're not welcome! Get out and don't come back! If I catch you here again, you'll get worse! Now beat it!" he used his sand to suck him up and spit him out about a hundred yards down the street. He got up and ran with a limp as fast as he could. Later he would wonder just how a little kid had managed to kick his butt so completely.

Gaara scooped up the little pocketknife that the guy had dropped, and went back in to give it to Hinata. He ignored the stares and whispers that the surrounding crowd was directing his way. Hinata gave him a kiss on the head and a cookie for his troubles.

Later that night he ran off some vandals and a few drug dealers on the corner. He also got in a scrape with a small gang, but he emerged victorious. He was confident that news of his presence would spread fast, and eventually the criminals would move on to easier pickings. The two crime families, however, would be a little harder to convince, as would the three major gangs that worked in the area. But if there was one thing he was good at, it was persuading people that his way was the best way.

The next night Hinata joined him at the window, where he was watching a small group of teens get ready to spray paint something on the wall.

"Hey Hinata, watch this!" he rested his hand against the wall from the inside, giggling softly. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Just as the one guy raised the can of spray-paint up, Shukaku's head appeared. It roared in their faces, and sent the guys scattering.

**"Yeah! That's right you losers! Keep on running! Just who do you think you are, trying to graffiti my wall?! If you ever come back I'll eat your livers! Bwa ha ha ha!" **the head disappeared. Hinata and Gaara cracked up. That was one way to discourage vandalism.

The next day a little old lady came in. Since Hinata was busy, Gaara helped her.

"May I help you, ma'am?" he inquired politely.

"Uh, ah, we-well I think so…" she was a little nervous. She was already in a bad neighborhood, and now she had to deal with the monster. Gaara waited patiently for her order, but then decided that she may need a little nudge.

"What is it that you're looking for, ma'am? Perhaps I could help you find it…" he figured that it would take a bit of coaxing to get her to come out and tell him, but he was willing to put in the effort. When he wasn't chasing off the local crooks, he tried to be as friendly to the neighbors and customers as possible. Besides, he didn't want the lady to have a heart attack and die on him. It would be very bad for business.

"I'm looking for some bread, white preferably. Do you have any?"

Gaara thought for a moment. "Um, Hinata just put some in the oven, so it'll be about forty minutes. Is that alright ma'am?"

"yes, I suppose. I have to pick up a few things first anyway, so could I come back and get it?"

""Of course. I can keep one of the loaves on the cooling rack in the kitchen for you."

"Ah, that would be nice, thank you. I'll be back soon." The woman tottered out. Gaara jotted down a note to remind himself. Then looked up out the window. As the woman shuffled down the street a man wearing a mask shoved her to the ground and stole her purse. The woman wailed, and Gaara was out the door in a flash. He chased the guy for about twenty feet before slamming into his back, knocking him to the ground.

"Just what do you think you're doing?! You can't do that! I don't let such behavior go unpunished! Shame on you!" he dragged the screaming and cursing mugger back to the woman, and trapped him with his sand. He helped the lady to her feet, and sat her on a bench.

"Are you okay ma'am?" Hinata burst out, looking around for Gaara, who was helping the lady stand, so they could bring her inside. The lady was shocked at just how Gaara was behaving. He was so polite, and kind too. She had always been led to believe that he was a vicious little monster, who would attack without warning.

"Hey! I know you! You're that guy who tried to rob us the other day! I told you not to come back!" Gaara shook the guy, who had been dragged in rather helplessly.

"You owe me money!"

"The only thing I owe you is a good kick in the butt! You're just a greedy scumbag who likes to pick on women! What's wrong with you?! You should respect your elders, not steal from them and push them down! You apologize!"

"I agree, Gaara. Really, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Hinata chided from where she was caring for the woman. She used healing chakra to mend the woman's broken arm.

"Shut up, you slut!"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL HINATA NAMES!" Gaara dragged the jerk towards a trash bag, tied him up and pulled the drawstring around his neck, so that his head poked out. He taped a sign to the protesting bundle that read: I rob the elderly and disrespect women.

"You should show more respect towards your elders. Don't come back unless you want worse!" with that Gaara used his sand to suck him up and spit him out into a distant neighborhood. It was decided that the woman should wait for her bread and have Gaara escort her to her home. The woman was very grateful, and decided to do her shopping there from now on. The bread was really good, and the security was not to be sniffed at.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Pint-sized Construction and Scrounger

Gaara was very good at scrounging. Why, in the basement he had found all kinds of cool stuff, like old tools and cleaners that had been left there. This gave him all sorts of ideas. After the day's lessons he headed over to the junkyard. It was actually just a place where people tossed old furniture, metal, and other stuff. It wasn't a garbage dump, it was just a junkyard. Nobody owned it, and it was usually deserted with the exception of the odd snake, spider, or scorpion. The stuff looked worthless, but there were rich pickings if you knew what to look for. Today he was dragging back old clothes racks, the kind that stores used. The wheals were a little banged up, and some of the metal was bent, but otherwise they could be perfect for what he had in mind. He then found some old abandoned carts, and some sheets of metal. What they were supposed to be he didn't know, but he knew what they were going to be.

Hinata needed carts to move the food to the shop outside of the kitchen. So he was going to make some. He dragged the stuff to the alley and ran off a peeping tom. He began to tear the clothes racks apart, separating the metal bars. Sometimes it was good to be a demon-host-thingy, he reasoned. It made tasks like this much easier, and he could tackle the toughest robber with ease, even if those seemed to be in short supply. All he ever got was that idiot pocketknife guy.

Next he began to break down the carts, tearing the metal baskets apart. He then cut the sheet metal into suitable pieces, and punched holes in them. The metal bars were fitted to the carts, one at each corner, and the holes at precisely measured increments were punched in, bits of the metal from the baskets were attached to the sheets by way of the holes. Now you could adjust the height of the new shelves, and you could add or subtract them, with a maximum of five sheets per cart. And she had four carts now. The cleaned and disinfected them, then proudly took them in to show Hinata.

"I was wondering where you headed off to! Where did you get these?" she looked at them appreciatively. These would definitely come in handy.

"I got the stuff from the junkyard! I made them, and cleaned them with those wipes you use for the counters, those germ-killing ones. Do you like them?" he gazed at her hopefully. She smiled and nodded.

"Very much Gaara! Thank you! You're a clever little guy, aren't you!" she messed up his hair, and he purred happily. He sounded just like a kitten. She had gotten used to his quirks, they made him even cuter sometimes, like now.

The carts were just the beginning of what he had in store for the shop. Soon enough he had added numerous shelves and tables to sit all those baked goodies on. Business had significantly picked up ever since the incident with the old woman; apparently she had given them a positive review and would come in a few times a week to buy something. This suited Gaara very well.

He had become very attached to Hinata, and would now seek her out for a dose of affection. He liked to cuddle, and wrestle around with her. He often surprised her with just how strong he was, and how fast and agile. She would have never guessed that a ninjutsu-wielding ninja was capable of such feats of strength, agility, or speed. She was also surprised at how ticklish he was.

They spent most of their nights together peacefully cuddled on her couch. And Gaara couldn't be happier. He was often snuggling up to her as she slept too. He had never really been held or cuddled before, and he found himself liking it very much.

Over the next few days he built shelves for the bakery, and dragged them in. He also made all sorts of tables as well. He even installed little wheels on them so they could be moved around; he was very proud of those little wheels.

That night something unusual happened. _It _spoke to him. Usually _It_ only let Gaara feel what _It_ was feeling; _It_ rarely ever actually spoke to him.

_Little One, it is up to you. _

What do you mean?

_You are the one who must keep her, not anyone else. There are only three that are of importance: you, her, and me. She is loyal, not like the others, and she has proven her loyalty. Keep her safe, as she keeps you safe. It is all up to you._

I know.

Gaara nestled himself down beside her sleeping form, settling in for his nightly vigil.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Pint-sized Taster, Chef, and Helper

Chapter Seven: Pint-sized Taster, Chef, and Helper

He was so proud. Hinata had designated him the official taster of all potential new recipes, and he loved it. Of course it wasn't all fun and games, he had an important job to do, and he took his work seriously. He was also a very enthusiastic worker, and always showed up on time.

Today he was sampling a new treat called the pizza pocket. He liked the pizza pocket, all three flavors: pepperoni, sausage, and the five-cheese blend. They were tasty. She even let him help her make them! He got to seal the dough! She said that he did a very good job, and proved it by giving him a kiss on the forehead and a cookie. It was peanut butter, and tasty. He liked having a full belly every night.

The next day he was helping her make all sorts of treats in the morning. First up was the bread. She was showing him how to kneed it so that it would rise. It felt so squishy, and he liked the way he could shape it into funny shapes, like gourds. He began to giggle, making her look over from her dough.

"Just what are you up to, little mister?" she said with a laugh.

"Lookie! Tiny gourds, like mine!" he giggled some more. She laughed, glad that he was having a good time. To humor him, she let him make a few bread gourds for sale, and he got to keep one, but the rest had to be normal, for the sake of the business. He was very excited about that.

He was a good helper, just like she said. He used his sand to reach things that were too high for him or Hinata. He helped the customers out, and ran off any punks or would-be robbers. He also helped her carry things home from the market. To that end, he made them little floating carts out of sand. Several of the merchants selling fruit had made special deals for them, for things like bananas, berries, apples, just about anything really. She also now had good suppliers for flour, yeas, and other ingredients. Life was actually pretty good now. She was able to make her payments, and still make a profit. She was glad that Gaara had come around, because a good chunk of it was because of him, if not most of it.

Today they had a giant order to fill. Someone wanted fifteen pies, thirty loaves of bread, a giant sheet cake, four dozen rolls, and four dozen muffins. It was a tall order for just two people to work on. Gaara kneaded the dough for the rolls and some of the bread dough while Hinata made the cake batter and pies, since the pies would take forever to bake. After that, she helped knead the rest of the bread dough, and took all of the dough to a warm, not hot, oven to rise.

They both worked on the muffins, but Gaara was forced to leave when a customer came in. he helped her with her purchase, shooed away a pickpocket, and went back to the kitchen.

Hinata was able to take out the cake, but it needed to cool before she could ice it. In the meantime, she was able to check on the pies and muffins, and start kneading the dough again for the rolls, and divide it up, only to set it back in the oven to rise again. Gaara helped get the bread dough into pans, and slid them in the waiting ovens. The pies were pulled out, set on racks to cool, and boxes were brought out and labeled for them.

The cake was iced first with white icing and little red roses and green leaves were added in colored icing, along with "Congratulations!" in red cursive lettering. The cake was very carefully boxed and set aside. Gaara boxed the muffins, and labeled each kind. He also boxed the rolls. They both simply wrapped the bread up in plastic.

Delivering the order was almost as tricky as making it. Gaara made a cart out of sand, and used it to carefully secure the boxes, while the bread was secured in a different section of the cart. The delivery was made, boxes were unloaded, and they were paid. They returned to the shop, reopened it, and set about cleaning up the kitchen. Hinata made chicken soup in his little gourd shaped bread bowls, and they settled in for a well-deserved time of relaxation. Gaara took the night off from his studies, figuring that he deserved a break.

He liked it here, very much in fact. She had taken him in when no one else wanted him, and had given him a place to call home. No one had ever been this good to him, and he was very grateful. His loyalty was with Hinata, that much he was sure of, and had been the moment that she had taken him in. She was everything to him now, and he would do whatever he could to help her.

Gaara helped her make a new type of bread the next day, something she called foccacia. It had a bunch of different herbs in it, looked like a fat Frisbee, and was very moist. It was an instant hit, judging form the reactions of the customers to the free samples.

However, with the recent boom in business came several drawbacks. One was that they simply did not have the time to remodel the place like they wanted. The other was that, despite Gaara's efforts to prove the contrary, they needed help, badly.

So it was that Hinata was forced to hang a sign in her window that read: Now Hiring! Please Come Inside for an Interview!

Gaara still wasn't sure if he liked the idea of sharing his Hinata with anyone else, but there wasn't much he could do. The newbies had better not talk down to him! Munched his pizza with firm resolve, as if daring someone to tell him otherwise. Hinata smiled and shook her head, wondering what on earth got into him.


	8. Chapter 8

Pint-sized and Hiring

Hey, thanks for all of the reviews and support and all of that good stuff. I think I am going to do a series of interviews with different characters for a while. I think you will enjoy them. But for now, here is chapter eight!

Chapter Eight: Pint-sized and Hiring!

Gaara was staring glumly at the sign in the window. That sign had become the bane of his existence. He didn't want to share his Hinata with anybody! He found her first!

"What's the matter, Gaara?"

"Nothing." He murmured and looked down. She knelt down to his level.

"Oh, I know there is something bothering you, now spill. You've been glaring at that sign for quite some time, now."

"I don't want anybody else here, that's all. I was here first!"

"Aww, but you know we need help. Besides, I'm not going to hire anybody unless they can get along with you, okay?"

"But they'll hog you up, and I won't get to spend any time with you!"

"No one can take your place, Gaara, you're special, and will always be my number one. Besides, it means that we can fix the place up."

"You promise you won't get anyone mean?"

"I promise, and if they're mean to you, I'll fire them. You come first. I'll even let you interview them with me."

"Okay, but they better not talk down to me! I have seniority!"

"Okay Gaara." She gave him a kiss on the forehead. He was so cute, even when he was stubborn. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy, and it was all thanks to him. He was a good boy; she just wished others could see that.

She had a descent amount of applicants, but she needed to do interviews before she accepted any. She would not tolerate a bully in her work/home. This was Gaara's home too, and she would not have him feel insecure here. The random customers were bad enough, as were the shinobi that occasionally came in. She would not subject him to such cruel behavior.

Gaara, however, had his mind focused on weeding out his own version of undesirables. In short, no perverts were allowed here, not on his watch. He wasn't going to let anyone make his precious Hinata feel uncomfortable. He'd make them sorry if they tried to touch her! Only he was allowed to cuddle, and he had exclusive access to all of her hugs and kisses!

No cheats were allowed either, or slackers. If he had to share Hinata's attention, then they had better earn it! She worked hard, and so did he, so no special treatment! They had better be ready to get dirty too, because they were going to remodel a lot of the place, now that they had the funds. They were going to do it all themselves, to save money.

In that topic, Gaara had been dragging back a boatload of furniture that could be stripped, stained, and fixed up to be as good as new. Gaara was very excited about this new project.

"Come on, your cuteness, we have pies to bake, and cookies to make! They're your favorite, white chip chocolate!"

"Yay!" He hurried after her, and she chuckled at his enthusiasm. How cute could you get?

The next day the interviews would start and she was already exhausted by the very idea of narrowing down the choices. What sort of characters would they have to contend with?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Pint-sized Interviewer and Interrogator

Chapter Nine: Pint-sized Interviewer and Interrogator

Part One: Temari

"So, Temari, why are you interested in taking this job? You are already a ninja with plenty of missions and such to keep you busy. Why do you feel the need to take on more responsibility?"

"As I'm sure you know; I am Gaara's older sister. You will need help in dealing with him in case he goes feral."

"Um, I haven't had any problems with him at all in that department. He may be a little territorial, and he likes to scare off the local thugs, but other than that he's been fine. I think people make him out worse than what he actually is."

"You're wrong. When the jutsu fades and he returns to normal, you will see just how bad things can get. He will go from scaring people to slaughtering them, and he will be far too strong for anyone to control. I'm his sister, I would know."

"No you wouldn't! You never hung around me more than what was strictly necessary! You always made sure Kankuro was safe and happy; you never cared for me at all!" Gaara leaped through the open doorway and confronted his sister.

"Kankuro needs to be taken care of, Gaara," she said, trying to calm him down. He was having none of it.

"That's not true! He's big enough to look after himself! You just don't like me 'cuz I'm not like him!"

"Calm down, Gaara," Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder gently. He looked at her.

"But-"

"I know, Gaara. I understand, but you're scaring off the customers. Don't give anyone any reason to talk bad about you, okay?"

"Okay…" he looked down, then back up at Temari. "I will never turn on Hinata! She's always there for me, unlike you!" he sat in a chair next to Hinata, his feet kicking in the air a bit since he was too small to touch the floor. Temari looked taken aback.

"Temari, I'm afraid I can't have anyone who is going to stress Gaara out this much. This is his home too, and I will not allow him to feel unwelcome here of all places. I'm sorry, but at this time you don't meet the qualifications needed to work here. I thank you for your time, though."

"My father is not going to like this."

"I don't care; your father's a jerk anyways. And you can't use my father against me, because he disowned me a long time ago. Please leave." Temari left in a huff.

Part Two: Naruto

"Believe it! I want to eat cookies! Or cake! I can make awesome cookie ramen!"

"Ah, uh, um, Naruto, th-this is a b-bakery, n-not a ramen st-stand."

"I know that, Hinata! That's why we're gonna turn it into a ramen stand! Believe it, this'll be great!"

"There's a ramen stand around the corner, and we are the only decent bakery in the neighborhood; why should we give up our advantage just to accommodate you?"

"Shut it, squirt!"

"Make me, dummy! I kicked your butt last time!"

"Last time didn't count!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did not!"

"It did too, and I'll do it again just to prove it!"

"Bring it, Shorty!"

"Fine, you big fat booger!"

"That does it! I'm gonna mop the floor with ya!" Naruto leaped across the table, and Gaara dove underneath, only to come up behind him and grab his ankles. He began to pull, and Naruto slammed into the table, cursing and swearing. Gaara scolded him.

"This is a business; you're not supposed to use bad words! We'll wash out your mouth with soap!"

"Shut up, shrimp! I'll say whatever I want, believe it!"

"No!" he used his sand to carry him into the bathroom, and grabbed the soap dispenser. He shot a squirt into Naruto's mouth, along with some water. Naruto's mouth foamed like a rabid dog's, and he sounded like one too.

"Well, you started it!"

"Gaara! That's enough! Naruto! Stop antagonizing him! He had a valid point earlier!" Gaara murmured an apology, and looked down at the floor. It was the first time she had scolded him, and he didn't like it. Did this mean that she didn't like him anymore?

"Fine! I'm outta here, believe it! I don't wanna work with this freak!"

"NARUTO!" he was out the door before she could yell at him anymore.

Gaara, meanwhile, was rather upset. That guy had a demon too, so why did he get to have so many friends? And what right did he have to call him a freak? It wasn't fair!

"You need to simmer down a little, Gaara. You can't just launch into an attack for something so petty. I worry that you might bite off more than you can chew one of these days." She knelt down and gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. He mumbled another apology in her chest, right above her heart. He found her heartbeat to be very soothing, and he would cuddle up to her when he was stressed or just because he could. At least she still cared about him, despite his misbehavior. That was a relief.

Part Three: Jiraiya

"Well, I heard that this was a lovely place to work, so I put my application in. I must say, the atmosphere here is incredible, and the company quite lovely."

"Ah, w-well, that still d-doesn't explain why a sannin would want to work in a bakery. Did someone send you to spy on me?"

"Oh no! Of course not! It's just that I need a little break from all of the missions, and this is an incredible opportunity for some quality research!"

"Research? On what?"

"Oh, I guess you didn't know. Well, I'm a novelist, and I am the author of great books. Maybe you've seen some of my work?" he held out a "Make Out Paradise" book for her to see. Gaara stared.

"I've seen those! Temari yelled at Kankuro because they're supposed to be dirty! She called him a pervert! What are you doing writing that stuff?!" Jiraiya jumped back a little. Trust the little kid to blow his cover!

"Oh, I think that that's a little extreme, don't you? I mean, I just like to express myself through creative writing, and if other people like it, well, who am I to stop them from reading? Eheheheheh!" he backed up a little more, not liking the look in Gaara's eyes, or Hinata's for that matter. What happened to the sweet little angel that she was?

"Oh, is that all? Then why do you keep looking at her chest? Hinata said that if you keep looking at a girl's chest like that meant that you were a disrespectful person. I won't let you show her such disrespect!"

"Well, you see, I heard a funny rumor about that, and I just had to see if it was true."

"What rumor?"

"Yes, Jiraiya sama, what rumor?" Hinata's voice was more than a little icy.

"That, w-w-well, uh, that you, erm, uh, maybe, well, uh, h-h-had c-c-close to C c-c-cups…" Hinata went red, while Gaara was puzzled. Who would want a cup shaped like a C? And why would anyone say that they had cups shaped like Cs? It didn't make any sense.

"W-w-well, is it true?"

"Don't be dumb, we don't have any C cups! Why would you want a cup shaped like a C anyway?"

"That's not what he meant, Gaara."

"Well, what did he mean then, 'cuz I don't get it."

"Of course you wouldn't get it, kid; it's too complicated for your small mind to comprehend." He said dismissively. Gaara got steamed.

"That's not true! I'm doing college level math right now! I do not have a small mind!"

"Never mind that; so can I see them? You know, to make sure that the truth gets out." SMACK! Hinata socked him in the eye; a considerable punch for her since she was so small. Gaara looked at her in surprise.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU WALTZ RIGHT IN HERE AND SPEAK OF SUCH THINGS! YOU SICK OLD MAN, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAD THE NERVE TO EVEN MENTION SUCH THINGS! GET OUT!"

Jiraiya ran for his life.

Part Four: Kankuro

"Hey, is this the strip joint?"

"What? No! This is a bakery!"

"No way, cutie, I'm positive this is the strip joint."

"Well, it's not! Look around you, do you see any strippers?"

"Just you, pumpkin. The rest must be in the back. The shop is a front, so that you won't get caught! You naughty girl you!"

"I'm not a stripper! Don't talk to me like that!"

"Ooh, I like them feisty, come on, I'm a good tipper!"

"Kankuro! What are you doing here?! You leave Hinata alone!" Gaara came streaking from a nearby room.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here', what are you doing here?!"

"I live here, you moron, and what's this about strippers? This is a bakery! Stop harassing Hinata!"

"It really is a bakery?"

"Yes!" they both said simultaneously. Kankuro looked disappointed, kind of sad actually.

"Then where's the strip joint?"

"Not here!"

"Oh…………then could I get a cupcake? In need to drown my sorrow and the bar caught on to my fake I.D." Gaara rolled his eyes.

Part Five: Sakura

"Look, if I'm gonna work here, he has to go. I don't work with monsters."

"No, he stays, period. I'm not throwing him out just because you don't like him."

"You do realize that he has a demon in him, right?"

"Yes I do, and I don't care. Naruto does too, you know. What's the difference?"

"Naruto isn't a freak! He wasn't born that way, but Gaara was!"

"That makes no difference. We won't be needing you, good day." Sakura left in a huff. Gaara was beginning to think that they wouldn't find anybody.

Part Six: Shikamaru

"Oh, man, what a drag! I have to get up that early?"

"Yes, we have to start early to make sure that the bread rises in a timely manner."

"Oh alright, I'll do it. Oh, before I forget, do you know of any apartments around here? I need to move, badly."

"Why, what's wrong? You live in a decent place, don't you?"

"Yeah, I did, until Naruto moved in next door. The guy is a lousy housekeeper, and I have cockroaches everywhere because he doesn't know how to put food away! The place id being fumigated, but still, I know that in a month or so there'll be more. I'm the one who had to call the exterminator."

"Well, you could take one of the rooms here, because this is an old inn. However, you'll have to share a bathroom for a while, because the plumbing in that part is shut off."

"Sweet! Maybe this won't be a drag after all. So then, that would mean that I would live her, and work like you two do?"

"Yeah, pretty much. You'll get an allowance, but you don't need to worry about food and rent and stuff, so it's a pretty good deal."

"Awesome. Hey, where's the little guy?"

"Out chasing criminals. He's been running them out of the neighborhood for a while now. I think he's harassing one of the mob families. He'll be back soon."

"I wanna meet him, because Naruto was going on and on about him shoving soap down his throat."

"Yeah, they didn't get along too well. Gaara was against turning the place into a ramen stand." Shikamaru cracked up.

A week later Chouji joined the group, as did Tenten. Of course, nobody was prepared for who would come calling next.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Pint-sized Evil Genius

Gaara wasn't sure about the new arrivals. They hogged up Hinata's time, made a mess, didn't really know what they were doing, and generally got in the way. Well, that's what it seemed like to him, anyway. Tenten was noisy and was sure that her way was the right way, no matter what he said about it, Chouji ate too much, forcing him to share his precious cookies, and Shikamaru was lazy. He felt like an outsider in his own home, since they were staying with them now.

Gaara hopped down from his perch on the roof, and made his way inside. It was six o' clock, meaning that the ovens were already up and running. Chouji munched on a bagel egg sandwich, as did Tenten. Shikamaru was asleep at the table. Hinata handed Gaara a breakfast sandwich, and he slipped out of the room with his prize. Tenten watched him leave.

"Sheesh, is he too good to eat with us or something?" Hinata gave her a look of disapproval, but Shikamaru spoke up before she got a chance.

"That's not it at all; he just doesn't trust us."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, you have to be able to see it from his point of view. To him, we're all intruders in his home and territory. If he had his way, he'd have thrown us all out when we got here. The only thing stopping him is Hinata's acceptance up us. Although he does seem to have something in particular against you, Tenten."

"Me?! Why?! I didn't do anything to that little brat!"

"That's why he doesn't like you; you treat him like a dumb little kid, when he is far from it. I saw the books and courses that he's taking and I must say, they're impressive. They're all college level, and he's only six. Top it all off with the fact that he's more knowledgeable in this bakery than we are, you can imagine just how much it irks him when you patronize him. He should be the one patronizing us."

"But he's just a kid!"

"That kid handed the leaf village's butt to us on a plate, or did you forget? It is incredibly stupid to annoy someone who is both stronger and smarter than you are. We just got to give him time and a chance, as well as some space. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

"Okay, fine, but that still doesn't explain why he won't eat with us."

"He doesn't trust us, and thus, he won't drop his guard around us by eating. Let Hinata give him some cuddles and he'll be fine, we do take up a lot of her attention, and he may be a tad jealous because of it."

"Jealous? Why? He still gets attention from her."

"Not like he used to; you forget, he had her all to himself for a while. She is the center of his universe, and we're in his way, as far as he's concerned. Try being a little nicer to him, so he doesn't see us as such a threat."

"Fine, I'll try. Temperamental little turd."

"Oh, c'mon, Tenten, he's not that bad, I think it's nice having him around."

"You would, Chouji, just because he eats about as much as you do! I swear, I've never seen someone so small put away so much food!"

"Well, he is a growing boy."

"Shut up, Shikamaru! Go back to sleep!"

"Troublesome woman." He put his head down and caught some more Zs, he needed them.

Gaara found Hinata alone in the office, and curled up into her lap, purring like a happy kitten. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair before pulling him into a hug.

"You're still number one, Gaara, regardless of the others. You know that, right?"

"You say that, but sometimes I'm not so sure, Hinata." He sounded so sad and forlorn, her heart ached. She opened her mouth to respond, but Gaara rushed ahead anyway.

"Then these moments happen, and I know that I'm still important, but I wonder sometimes, what is it that you see in that girl?" his voice was one of disapproval, and it sounded so strange from a child.

"Tenten has a strong personality, Gaara, and she resents the fact that she has to deal with a little kid. She doesn't realize that you're as smart and clever as you are."

"Flattering my ego is nice, but it doesn't change the subject, you know."

"I know, you little smarty-pants, just listen."

"I will if you keep that up."

"Keep what up? Ruffling your hair?"

"What? It feels nice…" he gave her a cute little pout, making her giggle, but she continued her explanation.

"She doesn't understand your trust issues, and thinks you're acting like a spoiled little brat. Again, she doesn't realize how intelligent or mature you are, or what you went through before coming here. Shikamaru stood up for you, though, and I think he likes you."

"Really? That lazy guy? I thought he would find such things too troublesome to bother with." He purred like a kitten when she stroked his hair, her hands were so soft and gentle, and she smelled good too…his purrs made her giggle softly. He was so cute!

"I think he likes you, although he did go back to sleep right after his explanation. I should probably go wake him up so we can open the shop…"

"Leave that to me." He slid off her lap regretfully, and then went into the kitchen, mischief on his mind. He stealthily slid in close to Shikamaru's ear, and leaned in close to his ear. The others watched him warily.

"GET UP, YOU LAZY PINEAPPLE HEAD!" Shikamaru bolted upright, and gave him an exasperated look.

"Man, you're louder than my mom! Troublesome little turd."

"Useless slacker, you'd sleep the whole day away if I let you!"

"Hey, I'm not useless; I just like to do things at my own pace. Noisy chibbi!"

"A snail moves at a faster pace than you! Bothersome bum!"

"I move at the speed of the clouds outside, you pint-sized terror!"

"You moron, there are no clouds outside! You're in a desert; there are hardly any clouds here, ever! Do your job, you overgrown turtle, or I'll show just how terrifying I can be!"

"I don't have to listen to you! Shorty!"

"Yes you do, I'm your boss, I have seniority, and I am a demon vessel who can kick your butt! So get going, or so help me, I'll slip horse laxatives in your food! We'll se just how fast you can move then, lackey!"

"All right, all right, enough already, I'm going! Troublesome, pint-sized troll," he grumbled as he made his way into the kitchens. Gaara smirked triumphantly, and sauntered in as well. Maybe things would work out after all.

He rolled in one of his homemade carts, and loaded it with the fresh bread, muffins, and cookies. He then rolled the cart out to the display cases, where he gave them all a thorough check just to make sure they were clean. Cleanliness was a very high priority here, second only to quality ingredients and hard work. The kitchen was kept spotless, top to bottom, and their ingredients were all neatly labeled, sorted, and stored away unless they were being used. The outside cases were thoroughly cleaned every morning and night, and were checked before anything was put in. Hinata and Gaara took great pride in their bakery, and it showed.

He got out the labels, and neatly labeled each section with their respective cards. He then slid the goodies inside, and rolled the cart back in the kitchen, and wiped it down before rolling it into the storage room. He then snatched up a broom and took outside to their walkway. He willed the sand to move away, and swept the area clean of any remaining dust .before switching the sign from closed to open. He made sure that the bell was in place before returning inside.

He made sure that he had the keys to the cash register were in his pocket, and opened it up to add a few bills to each little section, and some change as well. Hmm, he would be sure to get Hinata to pick up some more coin rolls from the bank, because their change jar was getting to be quite heavy.

The bell jingled as the door opened, signaling the arrival of a customer. The man was from a nearby business that frequently ordered doughnuts from them.

"Hey, where are the doughnuts?! I'm going through withdrawal!" the man joked a bit. Gaara banged on the door leading to the kitchen.

"Hey turtle! Move your butt and hurry up with those doughnuts! Old Lady Chiyo can ice faster than you!"

"I'm coming, you pint-sized dictator! Sheesh!" Shikamaru pushed the door open with the cart, and displayed the variety of the sugary sweets to the customer.

"Fresh from the oven! The usual, Mr. Takuri?"

"Mm, those smell good! Yeah, two dozen glazed and one dozen of the filled sticks. Thank you, Gaara, keep the change, okay? See you later!" the man exited with the box of doughnuts in tow.

"We have a wedding cake to do today, and it has to be done by one. We should probably start that now, just to make sure it's cool enough to ice."

"That's the yellow cake with the red icing, right? White daisies on top?"

"Yeah, the center has to be left blank, though, just the red icing. The florist is making a daisy bunch to go on top or something."

"Yeah, it sounds like a weird cake, though. I thought wedding cakes were all supposed to have white frosting or something. Women are at their most troublesome when they're getting married."

"Yeah, well, at least we don't have to eat it. We just have to make it. Next Saturday is still open for me, right? No big orders or anything?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I have to go take my ACTs and SATs; it's the only day that they're both going on at a feasible time. I will only have a half-hour for lunch, though, and I won't be home until dinner."

"Both on the same day, Gaara? That's a tall order."

"Yes, but I must do it. The council found out that the college is allowing me to take their courses, and they are demanding that I either go to the campus or prove that I don't need help from the professors, and this is the only way for me to prove that I'm earning my grades. You know that we can't afford to be short-handed in here. Even with the extra help, we're rushed, and someone needs to make sure those two mob families don't decide to wreck the place or something."

"Why would the mob families want to wreck the place?"

"I may have kinda sorta torched their drug warehouses, heheh," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Shikamaru stared at him in shock.

"Why did you torch their warehouses?! Those families are wealthy enough to hire ninja to do their dirty work for them!"

"I'm not afraid of them. There isn't a sand ninja in the village that can take me on and win! Besides, I want them gone. This is my territory now, and crooks and thugs aren't welcome!" he looked at Shikamaru defiantly.

"Okay, alright, sheesh, I get it. We're all ninja anyway, so we should be able to handle a couple of mob criminal families."

"And three gangs."

"WHAT?!"

"I told you, I don't want thugs and criminals here! Besides, it's more like two and a half gangs, because one's starting to give up. I keep finding their drugs and weapons and incinerating them. I wrecked two meth labs last week."

"That is incredible dangerous, those things can blow up at the drop of a hat! And they'll take out the entire building with them!"

"I'm not an idiot, Shikamaru, I know haw to handle chemicals and unstable equipment! Besides, I have my sand if anything does go wrong. Besides, I intend to use some of the equipment for my science project."

"You brought the stuff here?!"

"Not all of it, I incinerated the chemicals separately, and cleaned it up before I brought it here! Beakers are beakers, you know, and they don't come cheap! Although the hotplates do seem to have faulty wiring, so I may end up having to scrap at least one of them for parts…"

"What science project?!"

"I need to design a new flare for the ANBU. The ones that they have burn out too fast and go off too close to the ground. They want one that'll fly up higher in the sky before going off, drift down slower, and still be small and easy to carry. It's a contest between a lot of the students. I could win fifteen thousand bucks; more than enough to fix the place up, and get another oven for the kitchen."

"Wait a second, are you sure that they won't be biased against you? And what about your college expenses?"

"I have a scholarship, and everybody in the contest is assigned a number. You bring your finished project in, and you go to your little cubical with your number on it and wait. A judge will come by and tell you when it is time for you to present. You go behind a dune where no one will see you, and you launch your design into the air after they give you the signal. You're then scored based on your design, its effectiveness, practicality, originality, and how easy it would be to use. The winner must have scored high in all of these areas. I have an idea; I just need to see if it works. Lab equipment is too expensive to buy, and why should I bother with all of the meth labs around here? I know I have to make sure all of it is in decent repair before I use it, but it's the best way to go. It also helps to cut down on the drugs on the street."

"Man, you're a devious little thing, aren't you? You don't even bother with the legal stuff either, like a search warrant, or anything else."

"They've had free reign over this neighborhood long enough! I'm sick of them and their crap; they drag everyone else down with them! Someone has to stand up to them, so why not someone who can dish out a bit of punishment? I'm going to drive them out one way or another, you just watch!" Gaara lifted his chin defiantly, daring him to argue. Shikamaru couldn't help it, he was impressed. The kid was an evil genius who used ruthless, merciless tactics to get what he wanted. He was hitting the crooks where it hurt most; their money. Gaara was likely costing them thousands of dollars each time he went after them, and he had them all freaked. Gaara had shown them that they couldn't hide from him, and that they were never safe here, no matter what time it was.

It was rather humorous if you thought about it; a six-year-old kid had all of the gangs running scared, and he could act without fear of retribution because he had nothing to lose. Everyone he cared about was a ninja, and they were tough at that. Hinata could dish out some serious damage if you got close, had excellent aim and superb vision even in the dark, and was nimble and light on her feet. Tenten could turn her enemies into mincemeat at a distance, and Chouji could crush anyone who stood in his way. Shikamaru knew he was a great tactician, and had more than a few tricks up his sleeve, and Gaara was a pint-sized army.

"You know what? I'm in; let's teach these punks a lesson. We can all handle ourselves, and I'm sure hat we can take them out, even if it takes a while. Yeah, let's get 'em, you pint-sized army!" Gaara smiled and nodded. There was much fun to be had in the future.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Pint-sized and- Hey! Just What are You Doing Here?

"Number fifty-six, please present your flare design now." Hinata and the others reclined on the dunes, waiting for Gaara to present his flare design. He was out there somewhere, probably a nervous wreck after seeing the competition. The current one shot up and popped in the air, glowing red as it drifted down.

"Number fifty-seven, please present your flare now," the toneless male voice said from the loud speakers. Another flare went up, but detonated prematurely, sending green sparks whizzing over the dunes. Fortunately for Hinata and the rest, they were far enough away that the danger of catching on fire was minimal. After a short interlude, the competition resumed.

"Number fifty-eight, please present your flare design now."

"Hey, what number is the midget?" Shikamaru asked Hinata.

"Sixty."

"Oh, that's not too far away-heads up!" the flare had gone flying out of control and had landed and detonated in the audience. After several minutes of mayhem, the spectators resumed their seats, albeit quite a distance further back.

"Number fifty-nine, please present your flare now." This one shot up high into the air and lit the area with a golden light that lasted longer than its predecessors.

"Number sixty; please present your flare design now," Gaara's design rocketed very high into the air and exploded with a pop; sending brilliant blue projectiles horizontal from the main flare. They lit the surrounding night with a vibrant light as they slowly drifted down. The thing must've gone on for about five or six minutes, longer than the others. Shikamaru summed it up in one word.

"Cool." Hinata and the others agreed, and it was no surprise to see him win. After his number was called up he darted everywhere excitedly and freaked out the citizens, shinobi, professors and others with lots of moving sand platforms that he hopped around on to get to Hinata.

"Yay! I won I won I won! We can remodel now! And I want a giant cookie sign out front! The biggest cookie sign ever! I won! Me! I won! Can I have a cookie? Can I can I can I can I?" Hinata smiled and nodded, and the others cracked up. The kid should have a sign around his neck that said "will work for cookies."

It was the dead of night when two dark strangers entered Suna. A giant of a man with a large sword on his back and another, shorter, slighter man walked intently to a seedy part of town.

"You mean to tell me that not only did we leave the organization, you're not even sure that we'll even get to stay here? You have absolutely no backup plan? What the hell is up with that? You always have a backup plan!"

"We had to, Kisame. Pain is mad, Madara is mad, Deidara and Sasori are dead, Zetsu is nuts, Hidan is mad, Kakuzo can't see past his numbers and figures, Orochimaru is gone…"

"Probably the most screwed up one of us all…" Kisame muttered.

"And Konan will do whatever Pain says, so she's just as bad as he is. We're the only ones left that have a decent head on our shoulders," Itachi continued on as if he hadn't been interrupted, "face it, we had to get out of there." Kisame sighed, and relented.

"Fine, but why here? What the hell do you expect to accomplish? The Kazekage is a nut who infused a fetus with the Shukaku, then pissed him off and turned him into a murdering nutcase! And Deidara was a basket case that wanted to blow up the world!"

"The Kazekage is weak, so I think we can handle him. Relax. And I was referring to Sasori when I said that part about having decent intellect. "

"One-tail was more than enough to take them out so why are we in his village? Sasori liked to turn people into puppets I might add, what is with our group and dead people? There are a lot of dead people being played with in our group, I might tell you. Orochimaru brings them back, Sasori turns them into puppets, Kakuzo takes their hearts and absorbs them, and I'm not even going to get into Pain…"

"Silence, Kisame, we're here." Itachi knocked on the door.

"A bakery? You brought us to a bakery? What for?" Itachi pointed to the sign in the window.

"You've got to be kidding me! What the-oh, uh hi there!" Gaara's sudden appearance in the doorway shut him up. Itachi cleared his throat.

"Hello, we noticed the sign on your window and that your lights were still on. We were wondering if we could submit an application."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Pint-sized VS Dumb Fish

Hinata was dumbfounded. There were two S-ranked criminals sitting in the chairs in her office wanting to fill out applications. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Tenten were just as dumbfounded. Why the heck would ninja like them want to work in a bakery? Gaara wasn't helping matters; in fact, he kept needling Kisame with questions.

"What makes you think you're qualified to work here? Do you even know how to make bread?"

"No." Kisame responded to the little pint-sized mass murderer. What had Itachi been thinking?

"How about cookies?"

"Nope."

"How about cakes or soufflés?"

"No and no."

"Pizza's? Rolls?"

"Nope, nada."

"Can you even cook at all?"

"Not really."

"Then what can you do? What good are you, dummy?"

"Hey now, I am not dumb! I have excellent qualifications!"

"Really? For what?"

"I am an excellent food critic. I offer a unique perspective."

"Yeah, the perspective of a moron."

"Why you little-Itachi let me go!"

"No, he's asking valid questions. Besides, it's bad to attack our potentially future fellow employee."

"Yeah, dumb fish, it's important to our business to have well-qualified employees! Just what do you hope to accomplish as a food critic?"

"If your food is up to par, my rave reviews will draw customers from all nations! A food critic is a very important job! Only a food critic can fully appreciate the subtle flavors, textures, and customer service for the world's-"

"That only works if you're impartial, and as an employee no one would take you seriously. Besides, you made that stuff up!"

"Now, see here, little guy, that's no way to talk to your elders!"

"Bah, you act like a moron; you get treated like a moron! You'd better watch it or else I'll turn you into sushi!" Itachi lowered his head to his right hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, shoulders shaking slightly. This kid was hilarious!

"Moron? I'll show you moron! Water shark bomb-ow!" Gaara smacked him on his hands with a plastic spatula, disrupting his chakra flow. He glared at the criminal angrily.

"First; we're in a desert, not much water to use, secondly; if you bust our pipes, it's coming out of your pocket! Bad fishy, no cookie!" he sniped, waving the spatula at him. Itachi couldn't help it, he started laughing. This kid was awesome!

"Itachi! What the hell is wrong with-ow!" Gaara whacked him again.

"No swearing!" Itachi laughed harder. He was cute as hell too! Chouji and Tenten were already laughing, and had been for a while. Shikamaru sighed and resigned himself for a long wait before he could go back to bed.

Hinata, however, had more pressing concerns. She had heard rumors, and didn't like them. She reached out and tapped Gaara lightly on the head. He started and whirled around to give her a questioning look, but allowed himself to be herded behind her. She then leveled a positively evil look at the two rogue ninja.

"If I so much as even think that you two are going to take Gaara away and rip out his demon, I will liquefy your internal organs and extract them from your throats, am I clear?" the temperature seemed to drop sharply at her threat, and sweet little Hinata was suddenly very scary indeed.

"Actually, we quit the Akatasuki, Itachi wanted to leave, and he made a convincing argument. I'm not sure why he wants to work in a bakery, but, hey, we need a job, you're hiring, we make badass body guards, you live in a crappy neighborhood, we work cheap, and who can't use that? C'mon, we can learn. So how about it?" Kisame said in response. The others were silent as they awaited Hinata's decision, but finally, she nodded.

"You can have the rooms down the hall next to my office. We rise early around here so you'd best get your rest."

"Thank you, Hinata. We greatly appreciate it." Itachi said as he got up and left. Kisame turned and almost fell flat on his face, his foot having tangled in something. He looked back at Gaara, who grinned and gave him a smug wave. He scowled.

"Brat."

"Klutz." Oh yes, it was going to be interesting working with a pint-sized demon underfoot.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Pint-sized Alarm Clock

It was six AM, and Itachi walked out of his room and downstairs in hopes of breakfast. Hinata and Gaara were already up and cooking and they looked up as he entered.

"Good morning Hinata, Gaara."

"Same to you, Itachi." Hinata said. Gaara nodded in agreement, still kneading his bread dough. Hinata continued to roll out her pie crust.

"You have your choice of tea, coffee, milk or juice. Help yourself, I'll begin breakfast soon, I just need to get these pies in the oven.

"Anything I can do?"

"Yes, please help Gaara with the bread dough; we need to get it rising."

"Okay." He got up, washed his hands, and joined Gaara, who gave him a portion of his bread dough from the large bowl beside him. They kneaded the loaves of bread dough peacefully for a while, and then went over to put them in the warming ovens to rise. Chouji and Tenten came down and helped Hinata fill the pies and put them in the oven. Hinata then went over to the stove and heated up a skillet, sprayed it with cooking spray, and began to cook scrambled eggs.

"Hinata, those two bums aren't up yet! Can I go get them?"

"Okay, Gaara, be nice." Hinata said with a giggle.

"Careful Gaara, Kisame can be a little cranky in the morning." Itachi warned him as he zipped out of the kitchen.

Shikamaru was having a very good sleep, snuggled under the covers. He failed to notice the pair of sinister green eyes looming over him. The wicked creature leapt on top of him, cackling evilly.

"Up and at 'em, lazy bum!" Shikamaru jumped a mile in the air, and scowled at him.

"You little snot, I was sleeping good!"

"Yeah, yeah, Hinata's cooking breakfast, so get going!"

"Alright, alright! I'm going! Sheesh, you'd think a guy could get a decent night's sleep." Gaara tsked and rolled his eyes as he walked out the door.

Kisame was sprawled out on top of his bed, snoring loudly. Gaara's eyes widened as he entered, he had never heard such a racket coming from one guy before! He cautiously maneuvered his sand tendrils into position; grasping the blanket that the ninja was sleeping on at the corners. You couldn't discern much about the fabric other than it was brown; Kisame simply covered too much.

The blanket was jerked upright suddenly and yanked into a bundle around Kisame. He bellowed in rage and surprise; letting loose a stream of foul and inventive curse words. Gaara cackled like a maniac and made his sand drag Kisame to the bathroom and dump him in the shower. Icy water came pouring down on the hapless man, causing him to splutter angrily and bellow some more. Gaara giggled wildly as he ran downstairs. He loved waking lazy bums up.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Pint-sized Breakfast Adventures

"Pass the eggs, Troll." Kisame snapped his fingers in Gaara's direction. The little kid scowled angrily, ready to fire back with his trademark attitude.

"Get them yourself, fish brain, I'm not your maid!"

"They're next to you, you little snot, so pass the damn eggs and pipe down!"

A wet splat was heard, and Kisame's face now had scrambled eggs on it. He jumped up and began to swear profusely. Gaara snickered.

"You frickin' loon, that's hot! Get your sorry self to timeout! Throwing eggs at your elders is forbidden!" Itachi tossed him a towel as Kisame began to wipe off the remnants of egg from his face. Gaara continued eating, blissfully continuing to needle Kisame. Shikamaru leaned back and fell asleep, Tenten was drinking juice from a mug, and Chouji wolfed down a third plate of eggs. Hinata shook her finger at both Gaara and Kisame.

"There will be civility at this table, or you can both eat your breakfast cold. Kisame, no swearing, Gaara, no throwing food. Now behave, children." They both murmured softly in agreement. Hinata was a scary lady when she was angry. Oh so very scary. Gaara abruptly tried to look contrite, hoping to preserve his position as chief cookie taster. Kisame gave a cry of protest.

"Hey, that ain't right! You can't do that! He can't do that! He's too cute! He'll get off scot free! He can't just-"

"Shut up and eat doofus! Sheesh, a guy can't get a little shut eye around here!" Shikamaru snarled angrily, he had just fallen asleep…

Hinata shook her finger at him too. There was no way he was escaping her notice.

"You finish your breakfast, and wake up! You have to go over the money from last night and start our taxes, not to mention measuring the two rooms for the needed amount of paint and tile, and you need to fix the oven in the back with Chouji when he and Tenten get back from delivering those three cakes. Kisame, you need to deliver those cookies for the senior's function at the Wind Civic Center, and don't forget to collect the payment. Itachi, Gaara, you need to help me mix up today's order of cookies, muffins, and the rest. So eat up, people, it's a busy day!"

"Yes ma'am!" Chouji dumped a bunch of scrambled eggs on his plate and began to eat rather rapidly. Gaara chomped on his food as well, it wouldn't do to waste any of this tasty food, after all. Hinata was an excellent cook.

Itachi made a noise of surprise, almost choking on his coffee. He waved the morning's paper at Hinata.

"You read the paper yet? We had a reviewer in, apparently, and it's good! Here, and I quote, 'while the location is a little questionable, the food brings you back to Grandma's house. It's fresh, satisfying, and warms your soul. The breads are the best that I've had in a long time, and the sweets make me feel like a child again, when my Grandma used to sneak me some cookies or a piece of cake. You can taste the love in this bakery.' Hear that? You can't get much better than that!" Hinata looked shocked, and then a happy smile lit up her face. Gaara began to wiggle in his chair, excited. His wiggling drew Kisame's attention.

"Wiggle worm! We need to do something about that energy! Alright, you go scrub each and every toilet and shower! That aughtta teach you the proper way to wake someone up!" Gaara scowled at him and tossed his empty plate at him.

"You get to clean up the table; I have important matters to attend to. Those cookies won't make themselves, you know." Kisame rolled his eyes. He was such a little snot.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Pint-sized Picasso

When Gaara found out that Hinata had begun the motions for putting his winnings in a trust fund for him he nearly hit the roof. Thus far, she was unmoved, trying to explain that she was trying to think about his future. He was stubbornly sticking to his guns, though.

"Hinata! We have to do the remodeling and the repairs! That money is more than enough to do the job! Think of how nice this place will look!"

"I don't care, Gaara. That money is yours not mine; and it will be put-"

"Exactly! It's mine, and I want-"

"A trust fund is best, for now. In several years or so you can access it and do whatever you want with it, but I will be damned if I let you waste it!"

"Waste it? Waste it? I'm not buying toys with it; I'm making an investment in our future. It's not wasteful!"

"You're a child, so-"

"NO I'M NOT!" Hinata was taken aback by his bellow. He was positively vibrating in fury.

"I am supposed to be just a little older than you! A justu did this to me, not nature! I may not remember much of anything, but I do remember bits and pieces of the jutsu. I may not have the memories of my past experiences or maturity, but I am not a child. Not a real one anyway." A customer dinged the bell, and he moved to the door of the kitchen to go help her. He looked back at Hinata.

"This isn't over, you know." As he trudged out she let out a breath.

"He's right you know." She jumped and looked over to see Itachi standing in the doorway leading to the back of the kitchen. He walked over to her.

"I understand where you both are coming from, but in this instance you need to give a bit more. A trust fund isn't the best thing for him. That jutsu could theoretically fade at any time, which means that he could return to normal at any time. If you put it in a trust fund he wouldn't be able to access it for years after the fact. But he's wrong in some aspects too; the whole place doesn't really need that much renovation. The floors are in good shape, as are most of the plumbing and electrical lines. Just the faucets are faulty, and we can replace those easily. The most obvious thing that needs to be done is the painting. But even so, the purse that he won in that contest was a big one. We don't need the whole thing for this project, especially if we do it ourselves."

"Then what should I do?"

"Offer up a logical compromise. See what happens then. Ah, here he is now." A surly Gaara was striding as fast as his little legs could carry him and still look dignified. He scowled up at her, clearly ready for round two. She put her hands on her hips.

"First off, young man, you will not pay for everything, this is my place and you will respect that! Secondly, instead of a trust fund, I will set up a savings account instead. Third, you will not sass me again or you will go to time out and not get any dessert tonight, am I clear." His eyes bugged out at the thought of losing his precious cookies. He carefully chose his next words.

"I can pay for the paint stuff? Savings account sounds fair…" She nodded stiffly.

"I will pay for the rest. No arguing! You can help paint." He looked up at her and gave her sad eyes.

"I still get my cookies?"

"So long as you behave." He let out a sigh of relief. The three stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Can I get a funny painter's hat and one of those paint-board things that they use when they paint? A blue or black one?" Hinata started to giggle at the thought of Gaara wearing one of those hats. Too cute for words!

"Alright, you can get a hat if we can find one, but a paint tray and a roller will be much easier to use for the walls."

Sure enough, later that day customers could see Gaara in his oversized navy-blue hat painting the walls a cheerful creamy-yellow. His hat was tilted ever so slightly on his head; just like the painters he saw in the park sometimes. Hinata had already made stencils for different cookies, breads, cakes, pies, and muffins for each section of the interior shop. Kisame and Shikamaru were trying to fix the electricity while Itachi was working on the plumbing. Tenten and Chouji were minding the store while Hinata carefully traced the stencils on the walls for Gaara to fill in with paint. Hinata couldn't help but to smile. He was so cute when he was painting.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Pint-sized Games

Gaara tore through the alley at top speed; cackling wildly at his pursuers. The last major crime family in his neighborhood had just been robbed by him. He had taken all of the money in their bank account and had returned it to their victims, and the rest he had just donated to the animal shelter. Now their thugs were after him, and he was having a blast teasing them. When Hinata had told him to go play for the evening she had no idea just how much mischief he would cause.

He laughed as he darted out of the alley and summersaulted over a Sand Jonin, startling him. His pursuers nearly ran into the Jonin, who dodged in just the nick of time. The man was left standing in shock. Who the heck would chase after Gaara like that?! That was how people got killed!

Gaara vaulted up and stood on a bracket supporting a sign above a hotel. He giggled and stuck out his tongue at the thugs below him. They ground their teeth in frustration; they were not ninja, and as such didn't have the training to jump like that. The three men bellowed and shook their fists at him, and he retorted by making more funny faces at them.

"Nana nana nana; can't catch me!" he crowed at them, laughing uproariously at their frustrations. This was fun! He should really go outside and play more often! He hopped from building to building, just fast enough to keep away from the thugs, but not so fast as to lose them.

He jumped back down to the street and ran off towards the Kazekage Tower, his pursuers swearing at him as they followed. He giggled like mad and made a beeline for his father as he was leaving for the day. He was surrounded by his ANBU body guards, but they were unprepared for the pint-sized terror as he vaulted over the Kazekage and stole his hat. He flung it like a Frisbee at one of the thugs; smacking him fiercely on the forehead before darting off; cackling evilly all the while. The stunned ANBU and Kazekage looked on. Kankuro; who had been walking across the street, burst out in laughter. The thugs continued to swear at him, but were stopped by the ANBU. They were concerned that they might upset Gaara and bring about the destruction of their village.

Kankuro chased after his brother as soon as he was able to regain his breath. He had to congratulate him for his mad hat skills. Gaara peered down on him from the roof of a shabby-looking restaurant.

"Why are you following me?"

"Sup, bro, nice hat action back there. Why were they chasing you anyway?"

"I kinda make their lives difficult, heh, heh," his little brother looked so smug.

"Sheesh, you know, bothering criminals isn't exactly a healthy hobby. Shouldn't you be coloring or something?"

"Pshaw! Coloring's lame!" at this Kankuro cracked up. Hinata's voice drifted over the distance, faint but clear.

"Gaara! Dinner!" at this he hopped down and headed toward home. He paused after a few steps.

"Coming?" Kankuro nodded and jogged to catch up. Gaara was way cooler than Temari and his father at the moment. That; and he had mad hat skills.


End file.
